Chagos deal sparks UK backlash over £30bn payout and exiled islanders’ rights

The UK government is facing mounting criticism over its £30 billion agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, with lawmakers and human rights groups denouncing the deal’s financial and ethical implications.
Under the controversial arrangement, Britain retains military access to Diego Garcia — a vital US-UK base — through a 99-year lease, paying Mauritius up to £165 million annually in early years. However, the revelation that Mauritius will use the funds to abolish income tax for most workers has sparked outrage among UK opposition figures. “Why on earth should the British taxpayer pay £30 billion for tax cuts in Mauritius?” asked Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch. But Prime Minister Keir Starmer defended the deal, citing national security and international legal obligations following a 2019 UN ruling that the UK should return the islands. He claimed it strengthens Britain’s global standing and preserves critical defense infrastructure.
Yet, a UN panel has now urged the UK to renegotiate, citing the deal’s failure to ensure the right of return for exiled Chagossians — many of whom were forcibly removed in the 1960s and remain barred from Diego Garcia. Legal attempts by Chagossian exiles in the UK to block the agreement failed last month. Human rights lawyers argue the Chagossian community remains divided, with many in the UK excluded from consultation. Critics say the deal exemplifies a historic injustice still unresolved — one traded for strategic and financial expedience.